This is lafuturasrat's Black Wedding!

Well, no one can say that my 2010 was a boring year! After all that we have been through, I'm glad to say that we are doing really well and are super happy together.

Me on the other hand, I'm a hot mess. I have taken on way too much this semester, all for the fear of poverty as immigration really cost us all our savings. So here I am, working like crazy and soo overwhelmed.

Last night, after I totally forgot to do something I promised a friend I'd do, I finally just lost it. I cried like a fool, so frustrated that I seem to never remember everything - am always messing something up - can't ever do anything just right.

Luis came to my rescue though. He reassured me that everyone makes mistakes and told me not to be so hard on myself. Then, he said the line that totally blew me away:

"I hate to see you like this; it breaks my heart to see you cry. But, I know sometimes you just need to cry, so if this is what you need I'll stay here with you and hold you and support you until you feel better."

Sooo...I guess for all the suffering I went through in April and May the grand prize was an awesome, sensitive and super supportive husband. I am so blessed! Thanks, girls, for reading and sharing all these experiences with me =)

The lunita de miel got off to a rough start, but as you can see from the pics, it turned out wonderful!

We went to South Beach, got some sun and even took an airboat ride through the Everglades!

I love Miami! Can't wait to go back!

So, my family has a history of bad luck. I mean, it's kind of a joke within the family that anything that can go wrong will.

So today, when Luis and I missed our 6:10am flight by 3 minutes and weren't allowed to check in...I was not super shocked.

We were given 2 choices:
1. Stay at that airport and wait on standby for the next flight out (at 3pm!)...mind you, no guarantee we'd make it on that flight...

or
2. Drive to DC and try to get on the 8:20am or 11:20am flights out of Reagan National on standby.

At 6:30am, we made a snap decision and bought Marc train tickets to DC. We arrived at Union Station and with a little help from some locals, took the Metro to Reagan.

We missed the 8:20am flight, and now Luis is napping on the table while we wait and hope that we make it onto the 11:20...

Seriously? What a way to start a honeymoon! LOL
Talk about adventure!!!!

Do you have any ridiculous travel stories?

Okay, now I do have to give some props!

Please check out: andrewandjessicablog.com

They are photographers and their pics are TO DIE FOR!!!

Here are some photos from Lauren and Archie's peacock wedding that I am absolutely drooling over!

I hope Lauren doesn't mind that I stole one of her pics - she made a beautiful bride!!! =)

Hi Girls!

Hopefully someone more 'gardeny' than me will know the answer to this:

What is the flower/succulent in the bouquet on the right?

I found the Aeonium Arboreum which looks somewhat similar - either way, it is BEAUTIFUL!

If you could let me know, I'd appreciate the help!

I'm trying to think of how to have Luis rock the teal.

He wants a teal tie, that's sure. He's not a fan of the bow-tie, however.

So what do you think? Bow or traditional tie?

Also, what do you think of the bouts shown here?

Thanks, ladies!

Here you go ladies - I just went to google image search, so I'm not gonna be able to cite each of the authors - but I hope they inspire you!!!

Just wanted to provide some inspiration for my fellow teal brides on a Monday morning!!

So cute, right?

Hi Ladies,

Do you think that chandeliers would be a nice addition to the peacock theme? Or do you think that it's too much?

How do you feel about the chandelier theme overall?

The invite to the left is from Vistaprint.com =)

Hi Ladies!

So I think I've mentioned we are planning on keeping the peacock feathers as our main decorative piece and doing a simple black and white wedding with a teal accent.

I did a search last night to see if anyone has already done an IB for that color scheme and thanks to soon2bmrsstrassburg, I have some ideas! I'm reposting her IB so others can be inspired!!

Thanks a million, girl!!!

Ladies, we are taking a short break to Miami with some friends which (besides a local beach) will be our first REAL vacation together in our timeshare.

This calls for a ticker!!!

A count-up from our civil ceremony:

Hi Ladies!

I need some advice.
To start, I should say that I don't consider myself a 'long hair' type of girl. But for the last two years or so I've kept my hair really long for a wedding updo.

Obviously, that worked out beautifully in the civil wedding but to be honest, I am SOOO tired of long hair. Let me tell you why:

1. I don't know how to style it. I always put it in a ponytail.
2. It's hot.
3. It's always in my face and unmanageable (I have to put a ton of product in it for girls, or spend a ton of time straightening it.)
4. I feel like it's not my 'style'.
5. It always gets into hubby's face during 'inopportune moments' (if you know what I'm referring to...!)

Okay, so I am attaching photos of my hair through the years - I need some votes!!

I want a new style, but something that could still grow out to be 'updo-able' or at least 'adorable, wedding hair-able' by June 2011.

Please vote by year, as that's the easiest way for me to ID which pic you are referring to!

Thanks so much ladies!

***Warning: The blog you are about to read is selfish and whiny, but I just feel the need to vent.***

I've been trying lately to be a more supportive and commenting bride. This past year has been extremely rough for me. As you can see, we are married but still planning the big wedding for later.

During this year, I started off posting and commenting a lot. When Luis and I were going through problems, I couldn't bear to look at this site. It hurt to see so many happy people planning their big days when I wasn't even sure I would ever have one.

Now, we are married and I am usually very happy but sometimes a bit of regret still lingers.

So many people are counting down the days before the become a Mrs. and I feel like I missed out on the excitement of that experience because we got married so quickly (due to his visa and our finances) and now I read with a twinge of regret about all the bridal showers, bachelorette parties and rockin' receptions that I never had.

I mean, don't get me wrong - I hope I can do all those things before our big wedding next year but it's just not the same. I mean, I'm not going to be a 'bachelorette' at my bachelorette party. The excitement of a bridal shower is not quite the same when you are already a wife.

Is this stupid? I mean, I guess what it comes down to is that I'm married to the man I love and I'm lucky to have him back here with me at all - but, I guess...if I don't post or comment much maybe that's why...

I guess I'm a little envious that's all.
I wish everyone the absolute best with their weddings and the happiest, most wonderful life with your spouses!

Thanks for reading my pathetic rant.

Hey girls!

Today, I was teaching my ESL students about demonstrative pronouns (this/that, these/those) and in order to show how they work, I showed them this awesomely hilarious Old Spice commercial:


I have a total celeb crush on the Old Spice dude. I think he's cute and has a great sense of humor to even be in those ads.

My other celeb crushes include:
Ryan Reynolds
Morgan Freeman
Will Smith
Gael Garcia Bernal and awkwardly,
Seth Rogen

My husby knows about my crushes and has a few of his own, namely:
Megan Fox
Taylor Swift
Beyonce
Jackie Bracamontes (Mexican actress)

How about you ladies - any celeb crushes? Come on, let's hear 'em!!!!

Hello ladies!

Luis and I are going to Miami in August for a 'mini-moon' and I need some help!

I want to plan some cool stuff to do and we need some suggestions! Here are some questions we have:

1. Where can we park on South Beach?
We are staying near the airport but renting a car and want to drive to the beach a few days!

2. What are some good nightclubs?
We are looking for hip-hop/pop/Top 40...something in the middle price range.

3. What are some recommended, mid-priced restaurants?

4. What are some 'can't miss' places/things to do?

5. What should we not even bother with - anything that's just simply overrated?

Ladies, I would so appreciate any help you can offer - we are super excited about our trip and I know you can help make it FABULOUS! Thanks in advance!

Hi again, girls!

Today, I came across the following quote:

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.
-- Author Unknown

I really thought, "Wow, story of my life..." when I read it. I feel like nothing has ever come really easily for me. I've always been faced with really ridiculous life situations and events, but I take pride in handling them well.

Another one is a prayer that I've often used to help get through those moments:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.


Another one that seems to really sum up Luis and I's situation right now is:

We may not have it all together,
but together, we have it all.

Do you have any quotes that inspire you or that you feel sum up your life?

Hi Ladies!

I just wanted to share with you that as of today, Luis and I have been married for one month!!!

I guess time flies when you're having fun!
Here's one of my favorite pics - literally, how it all began!
He was sitting at the bar in that very restaurant when I offered him a bachata lesson. He accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history!

I love that kid!

So as I get older (I'll be 27 in October) I can't help but think about the fact that when my parents and grandparents were my age, they were making the same kinds of decisions that I am facing...of course, without knowing the outcomes.

My grandparents (on my dad's side, the only ones still living) are an absolute inspiration for Luis and I. My grandfather turned 90 in early June, they've been married for more than 60 years, and they are still sooo in love.

I never got to know my maternal grandparents well, my grandpa died when my mom was 11 and my grandma died with Alzheimer's when I was 16...but from the stories I've heard, they were my kind of people. Both happened to be in the military, my grandma as a nurse and my grandpa in the Army, I believe. Need to check that with my mom.

Anyway...I was talking to my grandpa this weekend and he was saying that he can't believe how fast times goes, he remembers chasing me around our backyard when I first learned to walk and now he just danced with me at our wedding...it made me think that one day I'm going to feel that way about my life and that it's so important to recognize those family ties and the traditions and everything...so with that in mind - I made some family collages!

I think they came out so cute - don't you guys think?!

Admittedly, my husby and I do not have the 'typical' newlywed experience.
Here I am, a teacher with a master's degree and my husband just got a job at Chipotle and is about to start community college in the fall.

We don't have a house, we share a two bedroom apartment with his parents. We're dirt poor right now. We have no plans for children in the near future...our main goal is to have enough money to buy a house for his parents in Mexico in the next year.

But, you know...our relationship has been through so many tests and we've passed every one. It was sometimes a struggle, but we made it! No, I'm not coming home from an amazing honeymoon. No, I did not have the wedding of my dreams...

And yet - I'm SOO happy today because Luis has a job and we are starting our lives together. We are writing our story...maybe our story doesn't follow the fairy tale pattern but I am happy it is OUR story nonetheless!

I feel so blessed to be able to post this and so blessed to have you girls as a support network through all we've been through! =)

PS - Careful with those burritos! The tortilla alone is like, 300 calories! Happy planning ladies!

Hello ladies...

Okay - so now that we're married but like...planning our big wedding, I want to go for simplicity and elegance. That means that I am considering doing a black and white theme with the only colorful items being peacock feathers. Now I need some expert help! Here are my questions:

If we do this, should we pick a single accent color or should we just let the feathers speak for themselves?

If we do pick a color, do you think teal would be good because it's one of the bigger, stronger colors in the feather?

I'm probably going to do all the BMs in black, but different dresses. I'm torn - we could do clutch purses instead of BM flowers...that way each could have a different colored clutch and they could reuse them. What are the opinions on the BM clutch instead of flowers?

Any other ideas about this theme? I want it to be elegant and slightly vintage, but I can't get away from my love of peacock feathers. (Plus I have like 300 of them to use!!!!)

Please ladies! I need your creative juices...I'm running low!

Hi girls!

Apparently, I had too many photos for WBC to handle! So I made two collages to combine my favorites! Here they are!!!!

Enjoy!

To begin, I don't like scary movies. They just aren't my thing.
Luis, of course, loves them. Very occasionally, he will get me to watch one and last night was one of those occasions.

We rented 'The Wolfman' and I will say that I did a pretty good job not being freaked out or grossed out by the blood and gore. I wasn't even really scared...

So then, we went to bed. Shortly after, I realized I didn't take my allergy medicine and got up to go take it when Luis says, "Be careful, don't let the Wolfman get you." Well, that was it. I refused to go out to the kitchen by myself.

After about a 5 minute struggle, I finally pushed him off the side of the bed and he went and got the medicine for me. When he came back, I told him, "Your a jerkface for trying to scare me..." and he was like, "No, I'm the best husby ever for going and getting your medicine for you."

I laughed until I cried. So there you have it ladies, I have the 'best husby ever'.

Hehe, husby...

Pay close attention to when I feed Luis a bite, then he gives himself one instead of returning the favor...that's my husband!!! LoL

Sorry it's a little long...

Well, it's 3 days after the wedding and my new hubby is going for his first interview at Bank of America!

I'm so excited and so proud for him! Here are two pics of him just before he left for the interview!

UPDATE: HE GOT A SECOND INTERVIEW!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!! I knew he could do it!!!!

Hi Ladies!

I just wanted to give you some clear pics of our civil wedding flowers. We went with a bright mix of pink and yellow - a great choice, I think!

Let me know your thoughts!

Well, I'm officially off the market!

Today was such a beautiful day. The weather was amazing (hot and humid, but amazing)! The ceremony was very sweet and meaningful.

After, we had such an awesome dinner at the restaurant where we met. I got to dance with my Grampy and got tons of pics with him!!! And finally, I took a page out of Tashasita's book and Luis and I served our guests their wedding cheesecake - SO delicious!!!

I am SOO happy!

Thanks girls, for all the support - more pro pics to follow!!!

Ladies,

I wanted to go for peach with grey and white. Well, of course, the local florists don't have much in the bright peach department.

What they DO have plenty of, however, are YELLOW and PINK!

So that's it - I'm putting it to you ladies. Luis likes pink, I tend to side on yellow.

I feel like yellow has a modern, fresh look while pink is more classic and romantic.

Either way, we want to go bold - bright yellow or bright pink!

Please girls, place a vote! Thank you in advance for your help!!!

So I bought some rhinestone hair clips and I found a style on Project Wedding that I really like. Romantic, curly, but not too much. Might put the birdcage in front, haven't decided yet...

Any thoughts?

Thanks girls!